Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Assistant professor, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Teachings, Department of Islamic Philosophy
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Teachings, Faculty of Islamic Theology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
Abstract
The epistemology of prayer in theology mostly relates to considering the possibility of belief in the prayer being answered. Some philosophers of religion such as Davison hold that we cannot know whether God has answered particular prayers, because various reasons other than our petitionary prayers may be effective in the obtaining of the state of affairs in question. In addition, the fact that we cannot know God's reasons for the realization of the desired outcome makes the possibility of reaching this certainty weaker. On the other hand, some theologians like Choi think that it is possible to reach this certainty according to the evidences coincident with the occurrence of the state of affairs in question. Through the comparative study of Davison's and Choi's views and the analysis of their arguments, this article tries to introduce the kind of certainty required in the theology of prayer. Some religious evidences and proofs acting as an epistemic guarantee of the divine answer to the human prayer along with reasoning through the best explanation according to the available evidence can strengthen the hypothesis that God answers some petitions.
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